Poisoned Love
by Pey119
Summary: Living in a radioactive world when air is only for the rich, Will can't help but take a certain interest in the rebellious leader Nico di Angelo. Will this "bad guy" be the end to his perfect life? Human AU. Future AU. picture not mine. Rated for violence and/or gore
1. Chapter 1

The world, as Will knew it, was divided into two parts: the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick, the living and the dying. This was the result of years of pollution and the destruction of the ozone layer. Yes, they had survived, because they knew how to create oxygen. They were smart. They made the machines and they set them on the wall borders of the rich cities. Paying for air, which seemed to be a human right, became normal. And that's what Will's family did. His dad worked, was a great doctor, and paid for their food, their home, and their air. He paid for them to live in the city. One of the few with air. So, naturally, that's the only thing Will grew up to know. He wasn't allowed by the borders or outside them and he settled with that.

But then he grew up. He turned into a teenager. His brain kicked in and he remembered that there wasn't only rich people in the world. There wasn't only them. So he snuck in books and read them until he was sure he knew everything about the outside world.

The poor, the "outsiders", lived in this radioactive world. They kept their skin covered and wore gas masks. Will couldn't understand how that all worked, how they reproduced and bathed and all that, but he got a general idea. The books, as he read, said that they couldn't breathe in the air or they would immediately die and their skin couldn't be exposed to it or it would ruin them. At thirteen, Will abandoned the research when it explained most children in the outside didn't live past ten. He was young, innocent. He couldn't take facts like that.

So he let himself become an arrogant citizen.

That was, however, until he turned sixteen years old.

At sixteen, Will was young and bold and arrogant, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was rich and he knew it, and he wore clothes to show it. He was never dirty and always clean and couldn't help but look down at anyone that was. In this way, he was just like his parents.

"Will! Will!" his best friend ran up to him. Her name was Annabeth Chase (yes the daughter of the mayor. She hates when people ask), and she has blonde hair and blue eyes like him. Her hair was curly and long, with a small grey streak in it. She was sixteen like him, smart and prideful. They connected easily.

"Yeah?" he looked over at her, having been walking home from school. It was finally Friday, and he was ready to go and rest. She, however, never seemed to need rest.

"I have a project for science." she explained, walking with him. "About the wall and the machines. Come look at it with me?"

He froze slightly. "We aren't allowed by the wall. It's dangerous."

She rolled her eyes. "They just say that. Come on. Please?"

He sighed, looking at her for a minute before nodding. "Fine. Under one condition."

"And that is…?"

He smiled. "You do my homework for a week."

She flicked his forehead. "Fine. Let's get going. It's a long walk."

He sighed, nodding. "Why do you need to actually go to it again?"

"I don't." she admitted. "I just want to."

He nodded slightly, shaking some hair out of his face.

After a minute of walking she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Have you seen the news?"

"Which one?" he asked, glancing at the screen of her phone.

"About the rebellions." she glanced around, talking quieter. "The outsiders. They're rebelling pretty bad."

He scowled. "As in...how bad?"

"War bad." she bit her lip. "We're sending troops out."

"Who declared war first?" he asked.

"Them, obviously." she spoked biased. "Their leader. That horrible guy that was on the news not too long ago. The one that tried breaking in."

"I'm not shocked." Will glanced around as if scared he would jump out at them. "He's pretty bad then, isn't here? They know not to try and break in."

"Exactly." she smiled. "I found it. Look."

She stuck her phone under his nose, showing a picture of what looked to be a boy. He was covered in heavy clothes, with a gas mask and hoodie on. Nothing else was visible except for his small frame and dirtiness.

"Did they find out his name?" Will asked.

She nodded. "Nico di Angelo. He's been officially named their leader."

"So, our generation's Hitler." he thought out loud.

She nodded. "Exactly like our generation's Hitler."

"So we sent troops out?"

"Yep," she put her phone away. "After we sent him back they just kept trying. Then declared war. So we've got our troops out there and they have theirs."

"Hopefully they won't draft." Will quickly made the sign of the cross. There had been one war before with the outside world, and he saw how the soldiers came back. He was five years old at the time, but he remembered. He remembered the blisters and bleeding and the organs outside the skin and the exploding lungs….

"We'll be okay." she smiled, rubbing his back a little. "You worry too much."

"You worry too little."

"Yeah, I guess."

Will was silent as they drew nearer. Fear settled in his stomach as the air started to get slightly thick. Eventually, they hit a post with soldiers securing the area.

Annabeth went up to them without hesitation. "We need to pass."

A guard looked up before realizing who she was, nodding. "Of course, Miss Chase. Grab masks before you go past."

She smiled, winking at Will. "Let's go, Sunshine."

"Sunshine isn't real." he muttered.

She rolled her eyes, handing him a surgical mask. "Put that on."

"You aren't my mom."

"I might as well be." she put her own on, watching him put his on before leading him past the guards. He was sure the only reason they had been allowed was because of who her father was, but he ignored it. He liked the perks of it.

He froze in his tracks, however, when he saw the wall and the reason why they shouldn't be there.

The wall itself was _at least_ sixty feet tall, but he couldn't see much through the machinery so it could be a lot taller. Machines of all sizes lined the sides, continuing to get more dangerous the higher they got. The highest ones he saw held blades bigger than his body and wheels twice as large. Tubes ran from the machines and into the city, spreading the good air to its residents.

Will thanked God for those machines, no matter how ugly they looked.

Annabeth grabbed his arm, excitement radiating off her. "Isn't that awesome?!"

"More like dangerous, but sure." Will replied, looking up at it. "So...what are we doing here? You said for a project…?"

She smiled sheepishly. "About that…"

He frowned slightly. "What?"

"You see...I don't have a project. I more have an...interest." she explained vaguely.

"An interest in what? The wall?" he looked over at her.

She shrugged. "You can say that...but more like...Nico di Angelo...and the outsiders."

He froze before frowning deeply. "What are you saying?"

"Well, I wanted to go explore but dad said no."

"A reasonable decision."

"So I asked him if I could join the war." she scratched the back of her neck. "He said...yes."

He frowned deeply. "So you came here to...what, get a better look?"

She shook her head. "For _you_ to get a better look."

He felt his face scrunch up in confusion. "Why?"

"So you can join with me." she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "We can go take down Nico di Angelo."

His eyes widened. "A-Annabeth…. You know how dangerous that is?"

"We won't die, I promise."

"There's no air out there." he argued. "And Nico di Angelo...the leader...he's supposed to be evil…."

"Do I look like I care?" she let him go, crossing her arms. "Please, Will? Please?"

"Are we seriously losing that bad that you want to join?" he asked softly.

She looked down for a minute before nodding, talking quieter. "So...please...help me protect our city?"

"Fine, fine, Annabeth." he sighed, looking up at the wall. "I've got to convince my parents to let me, though."

"Don't worry, I'll deal with that." she tapped her head. "I'm the smart one, remember?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Let's go back, now."

She nodded, leading him back towards the city. Deep down, he was excited for this. This Nico di Angelo….

Will strived to understand him.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico di Angelo was almost fifteen when he declared war. Yes, it seemed young, but where he came from, age didn't matter because many didn't live past thirty. So, at fifteen, he knew what he could do and his limits and knew he could do this for his people.

His people: the broken, the hurt, the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the cold, the asthmatic, the dead. When his dad met his fate from the air, he stepped up in his place. He took on the role his people needed him to be. He became their leader, but more of their helper. He fought for human rights and life.

He knew what the rich thought of them: bad, evil, thieves, unclean, little devils (he had been called all of this and more by guards that caught him trying to sneak in). According to them, the poor were the bad guys. The evil monsters that ruined their perfect lives for "no reason". But that wasn't the case. No, his people weren't evil monsters. They were just humans trying to survive.

That was all they ever wanted. They wanted to see their kids live and wanted to see their grandkids born. They wanted to stop the children's wails and they wanted to feel clean air. They wanted to take a bath and feel the water. They just wanted to live.

Nico crept into a corner of the cave he stayed in, his gas mask on with clothes covering every inch of his skin. He could never change them, just sew on more material. He could never bathe, but just keep getting dirtier. He couldn't eat or drink, but stick an IV through his clothes and skin. And he hated it.

He sat on a small rock, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he wrote on a paper. Shaking, dizziness, headaches, chest pain...these were all things he and so many others learned to live with. They lived with their body telling them they were dying every second of every day.

It never got better, no matter how many times parents told that to their aching kids. They just got used to it.

He wrote all these thoughts down, knowing the enemy would never listen. However, he tried. Over and over again. If there was a way to do this peacefully, then he would.

But it seemed that possibility was diminishing quickly.

"If these needs won't be met, get ready for the war of your life." Nico wrote at the end of the letter, sealing it carefully.

His...not friend, but acquaintance, walked in then. Percy Jackson was older than him by a couple years, but tried to stay out of matters because he was happy with his mom. NIco knew he was only happy temporarily, but never mentioned that. He only asked him for small favors from time to time.

"You called?" Percy asked, messing with his heavy gloves. He was probably the richest poor person Nico knew.

"Yeah," Nico handed him the letter. "Take this to the wall for me?"

Percy sighed. "What's it say?"

"Do you want to know as a freedom fighter or as yourself?"

"Myself."

"Then you don't get to know." Nico made sure it was sealed. "Get moving."

"That's stupid." Percy replied bitterly. "You can be mean sometimes."

"We've established that." Nico replied. "Are you going to take it or not?"

Percy looked at it for a minute before nodding. "Fine. But, why aren't you doing it?"

Nico rolled his eyes under his helmet. "If I get arrested one more time, they're putting me to death. How have you not heard that?"

"I thought you weren't scared to die." Percy admitted.

"I won't be. But I'm not finished. I still have a lot to do and a lot to prove. There's still lives to be saved, so I can't die yet." Nico explained. "You understand?"

Percy nodded. "I guess."

"Good. Then get going." Nico waved at him.

Percy sighed, but left.

Nico watched for a minute before walking outside, looking around. He was on a hill, overlooking the small village he grew up around. He could see the children play at the park and some houses, but the gray air covered the rest from view. He smiled softly, thinking about how they could definitely use the air to their advantage, if they did go to war. Those rich troops wouldn't know what hit them.

He knew from his father that they had gone to war before, around ten years earlier. It was a gruesome story, well, for the rich. Their soldiers seemed to always accidentally undo their masks or take their gloves off, or want to feel how "bad the outsiders made it out to be".This always lead to regret, if they lived.

His father had explained in detail on how the injured came back to Xbanda (the closest rich city). The blinded walked back in a line, holding onto each other's shoulders. Some weren't as lucky. They came back on stretchers, on the backs of the others. Their skin peeling off, their eyeballs falling out and their ears peeling off, missing limbs, blisters (internally and externally), organs spilling out of melting skin, corpses…. The list went on and on. Nico was so used to this life, however, that the gore didn't bother him. He was used to watching people suffer. Used to watching people die.

He shook his head, trying to get the thoughts away. He needed to focus. He wouldn't get anywhere with thinking about the sadness. No, he needed to stop thinking and start doing. He needed to prepare his troops for war, just incase.

He went back in the cave, grabbing a gun. His eyes landed on a picture, and he immediately regretted coming in. It only brought back the sadness he had been trying to forget.

It was of him and his sister, when they were children. She was pushing him on the swings, her thin arms clad in bright material. He had, too, been wearing bright colors. They were happy back then, and he knew Bianca had been smiling, even if he couldn't see through her gas mask.

The air had taken her when she was twelve.

He walked back outside quickly, his hands shaking slightly. He hated thinking, hated memories. Hated anything to do with sadness, including his life. When everything was over, when his people were safe, he would kill himself. Just to get away from the sadness.

"Nico!" a young boy from the village ran up to him, his body shaking too much to be normal. "Come with me!"

He frowned in confusion. "Why? What happened?"

"It's about the letter you sent…" he replied, crossing his arms. "You should really come...this is what we need you for."

"Okay, let's go." Nico held the gun close. "Lead me."

The boy nodded, running off again. Nico followed closely, unsure what to expect. Had they really answered that quickly?  
As he ran behind the boy, he realized they were following a trail of people, as if they were all going to the same place. He started to worry, then, about what could have gotten all their attention. What had the rich done?  
When he realized they were getting to the wall, he quickly stopped. If he was caught one more time….

"Nico, please. Help him!" someone screamed from the crowd. He didn't see who it was, but it snapped him out of his thoughts enough to realize that someone was in trouble. Someone needed him.

He ran at full speed again, pushing passed them. He didn't stop to apologize, however, because he knew there was something more important out there. Someone that needed saving. That's all he was alive for, and he knew that. He was put there to save those who deserved it. He wasn't the victim, he was the savior.

When he got within twenty feet of the wall, however, he realized why they were all so worried. His body and brain froze, his feet stumbling to a stop. Part of him wanted to run home and never come out, because he knew it was his fault. He knew he would be blamed, and no one else.

Rich soldiers, fancy gas masks and suits on, stood at the base of the wall by the only opening: a steel door locked with about a thousand locks in the least, impossible to get through. They had Percy Jackson tied up to the wall, his gas mask off and fully naked. Nico literally watched as he saw the skin melt off the once happy boy. Percy was breathing heavily, trying to get in air that wasn't there. He was turning blue quickly, screaming in pain. His eyelids were closed but Nico could see how they were close to letting out what was probably his eyeballs and he could start to see the bone on Percy's legs. He knew, without a doubt, there was nothing he could do. And he knew, without a doubt, that he was going to war. Pointless executions, pointless deaths, pointless tortures…. They weren't right. They were _wrong._ That boy shouldn't, didn't deserve, to die like that. None of them did.

"E-Everyone…" Nico bit back bile. "Get home before they look for someone else."

No one wanted to leave Percy, but they knew Nico's words were true. They knew that the soldiers could very well pull one of them up to meet the same fate. So, very quickly, the crowd dispersed until it was only Nico and Percy's mother, who was on her knees sobbing her heart out. He went to her slowly, hesitantly putting a hand on her back. "Let's get you home…."

She pulled away roughly.

He frowned sadly, glancing up at Percy. The boy had stopped screaming, and Nico knew he had died. His heart was too close to falling through his skin to still be alive.

"He's dead." he said softly. "There's nothing more you can do for him."

"This is your fault!" she screamed, clenching the cloth of her dress. "Just leave me alone! You owe me that much!"

Nico watched for a minute, trying not to let her words affect him. Yes, it was his fault. He knew that. But could he change it? Nope.

"Mrs. Jackson-"

"NIco di Angelo!... Please...don't ever talk to me again." she got up slowly, turning away from him. "I...I don't ever want to see you again. Honor that, for me."

And he did.

She walked away, leaving him alone. He stood there for a minute before looking up at Percy's body. He knew they weren't getting it back, just like all the others. Every time one of their people were executed, the rich left the body up for days, sometimes weeks. It was their mechanism for rubbing it in their faces. It was how they showed they were in charge and them alone.

Nico swore then and there that he wouldn't let one more innocent person be executed. So, turning around, he walked back to the village with no heart left. No love. He sympathized, but he didn't love. There is only so much love one person can give, and all of his had already been taken away.

When he got to the village, he told someone to go gather the armies, to go tell them it was time for war. Whoever wanted to join, could. He wouldn't refuse anyone's help. It just wasn't the time for that.

The next morning, he crumpled a paper and through it towards the wall. A guard caught it, reading the three words.

" _War is on"_


	3. Chapter 3

Will had went home as soon as they got back from the wall, his emotions fighting and contradicting each other. Part of him couldn't wait to find Nico di Angelo and see what he was like. The other part, the more rational part, was full of fear. Joining a _war_ , at sixteen…. Joining a war at any age was dangerous. Life threatening. Was he really ready to die?

He didn't fully know, yet.

He was laying in bed that night, contemplating this when he heard the doorbell ring. He didn't get up for a minute, his mind running rampant.

"Mayor Chase, it's a pleasure." his dad's voice rang across the hall. Will froze before sprinting out of his room, knowing what all of this was about.

Annabeth had told him he agreed.

He stopped when he got by the front door, breathing heavily and shaking. Both men looked over at him, the mayor smiling and his dad frowning in confusion.

"Will Solace, glad you could join us." the mayor held his hand out to Will.

Will hesitantly shook his hand. "U-Um…."

"Is everything okay?" his dad asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes, of course." the mayor let Will's hand go, turning to his dad. "I actually came here to talk to you about him. Will has chosen something amazing."

"And that is…?" his dad asked, glancing at Will.

Annabeth's dad smiled. "So, he hasn't told you. Well, I thought not. Annabeth said he was scared you wouldn't let him."

"Wouldn't let him what?" he could see the annoyance on his dad's face as he fought to stay calm.

"Join the war." the mayor replied bluntly. "Be a soldier. Help us protect our great city from those...those monsters."

"A soldier…." his dad looked sick. "He could die."

"He's doing a great service. It's because of citizens like him that we don't draft."

"That doesn't change the face that he could die." his dad reasoned.

"Dad…" Will spoke up for the first time. "You shouldn't disagree with the mayor…."

He looked at him for a minute, his face seeming older than usual. Finally, he nodded slightly. "Fine, Will. Fine…."

Will froze. "S-Seriously?"

He nodded. "It's your life. I can't stop you. And as the mayor said...it's very brave of you."

Will smiled. He liked how approving his father was.

"So, I'll come get him in the morning." the mayor broke in. "Get him ready."

"Tomorrow? Isn't that early?" Will asked.

He shrugged, heading out. When the door was closed, his dad immediately turned to him. "William…."

"I'll take care of myself. I promise." Will gave him a soft smile. "I'll be fine."

He nodded. "Fine...I'm proud of you, son."

Will smiled brightly. "Thank you, dad."

 **~line break~**

Military training was harder than Will had ever expected. Gas masks were suffocating and those clothes were so heavy he could barely run. The guns were heavy, also, and every night he went to bed with his muscles feeling like liquid. Some nights, they didn't get to go to bed.

He didn't mind shooting his gun. It was training, training for aiming and shooting it at an outsider. No, not an outsider. A monster. He was training to kill monsters.

Only when him and Annabeth had been given a break did he realize how dangerous it was really going to get.

They were sitting on the ground, eating a couple apples. The training camp was still inside the borders, but they usually wore the masks and gear to get used to them. When they were on break, however, they could take it off.

"We've got injured soldiers coming in!" an older man yelled, coming out of a tent. "All of you act brave and healthy. They won't believe they can live if all they see is sadness."

"How hurt are they?" Will muttered to himself.

"Hurt enough." Annabeth replied, getting up. She held a hand out to Will. "Come on."

He took her hand, getting up. Together, they walked over to the edge of camp. Will immediately regretted that, however, when he saw the soldiers coming in.

A line of about twenty men walked, their hands on each others shoulders. Wet cloths covered their faces, and Will immediately understood why. The air, as they had been told, could blind anyone with revealed eyes and peel at the skin. Those soldiers had probably taken their masks off.

Will immediately put his mask back on, Annabeth doing the same.

Once they had passed through, the sergeant turned to them and the rest of the trainees. "You saw how they ended up. Don't complain about those masks one more time."

Will and Annabeth joined in the chorus of "yes sir". Inside, Will couldn't stop the fear. A painful death was something he really feared. Who would want to go through all of that for nothing?

"Come on," Annabeth grabbed his arm. "We need to get back."

"Yeah…." he let her lead him away, but he started to regret all this. He was young. Too young. He didn't want to suffer. He didn't want to die.

Annabeth noticed his mood soon. "Will…."

"Yeah?" he glanced at her.

"We aren't going to die." she looked in his eyes. "Okay? We're going to survive. We're going to save our people and we're going to survive."

"We're going to survive…." he repeated.

She nodded. "Yep. We're going to survive and become heroes."

"Okay," he smiled a little at her. "Okay."

She gave him a reassuring smile before flipping her ponytail. "We can't be heroes unless we get back to work."

He smiled. "I'll race you there."  
She rolled her eyes. "You know I'll win."

"Try me." he stood for a second before sprinting off, her following quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

When their training was finally over, Will knew something small had changed inside him. Something wasn't right. Even by the tiniest bit, he wasn't the same boy he used to be. Everyone around him warned he would just continue to change.

He wrote them off, however, and continued to enjoy watching animals and children play.

When they left the city for the first time, he finally understood that he shouldn't have jumped into it so quickly. He should have thought about it. Was all of this worth the small possibility of seeing Nico di Angelo?

No matter the answer to that question, he couldn't go back now.

The first week was the hardest. The "monsters" they were supposed to be killing looked human like them and had emotions like them. It was hard to get used to killing them anyways, ending their lives, ruining their hopes and dreams and families.

Did monsters have families?

* * *

Him and Annabeth were on a mission by themselves when he saw Nico di Angelo for the first time. There were out scoping the area, guns loaded but unused. The area was calm, quiet, until they saw the enemy. There was too many to fight and too little time to leave, so they hid quietly and watched them pass.

Nico di Angelo was towards the middle of the group, wearing all black, including his gas mask. Will could tell it was him, however. All soldiers could. They were trained to pick him out from a group.

Annabeth breathed in sharply, whispering quietly. "What do we do?"

"What do you mean?" Will whispered back. "If we shoot, we die. End of story."

"If we shoot, we kill their leader." she reasoned. "Maybe end this war."

"And get ourselves killed."

"That, too."

"Annabeth." he gave her a look even though she couldn't see it through his mask.

"Will, we came to win."

"I know."

"Winning involves killing di Angelo."

"I know."

"We knew we were risking our lives."

"I know, but-"

"But what? This is our chance."

"Your chance, is it?" the voice came from above them, making them both jump. When Will looked up, his heart stopped for a second. An outsider stood above the trench they were in, his gun aimed at their heads.

When he didn't shoot, Annabeth spoke up, her voice shaking slightly. "W-We won't shoot...if you let us go."

"How old are you?" he asked.

Will frowned in confusion. "Sixteen…"

"You're young. Too young to kill." he kept his gun up. "Stand up. I'll take you to Nico."

Annabeth froze. "U-Um…"

"Get up!"

Will and Annabeth immediately stood up, leaving their guns on the ground.

Inside, Will was breaking down. Prisoners of war….

You never heard good stories about them.

The boy led them away with his gun to their backs, the only sound their breathing and their footsteps. Will could painfully feel his heart pounding in his chest, his body starting to shake as anxiety took ahold of him. He wanted to go home. All he wanted was to go home, back to his normal life.

Steps turned into feet. Feet turned into miles. Inwardly, Will was half convinced the guy was just going to make them walk until they died. He was hungry, thirsty, and his feet ached. When he glanced over at Annabeth, however, she didn't look at all tired. She walked with her head held high and her lips pursed, her eyes gazing over the area. Will knew she was trying to think of a plan to get them out of this. "She always had a plan". But there wasn't a plan for this.

After awhile they started up a small hill, the ground rocky beneath them. Will started to shake again, his fear coming back full force. He was scared to die.

"I got two teens!" the boy behind them called out. "Weaponless!" he stopped them, grabbing Will's shoulder to keep him in place. Annabeth stood beside him, the gun to her back.

It was quiet for a minute before a younger voice, somewhat familiar, called out. "Bring them in!"

The boy immediately started moving Annabeth and Will again, higher up the hill until they reached the entrance of a cave. Annabeth froze hesitantly, catching Will off guard. He looked further into the cave where she was looking, however, and saw what she had seen.

Nico di Angelo was sitting a little ways into the cave, his head tilted lightly to the side. Small pieces of hair poked out from the bottom of his gas mask, black as night and greasy to match. Will's hand found its way to the back of his own mask, wondering how greasy his hair had gotten. Not washing it, always hiding it up in a mask….

The boy stopped them again, but Will couldn't tare his eyes away from Nico. Something so similar, almost memorable, was oozing out of him. For some reason, Will wanted to sit down and play a card game or watch TV.

"So," Nico's voice was soft, angry yet quiet. "These are our prisoners?"

Will froze completely, then, his eyes widening. The way Nico spoke, the way he tilted his head and stood…

The memories came crashing back so fast Will stumbled to the ground.

* * *

 _Will was around six when he saw it for the first time. His father was taking Will to work with him, so they were forced to go in sighting distance of the wall. It was large, larger than anything Will had ever seen. It rose above the houses and buildings, and he had to strain his small neck to attempt to see the top._

" _Will, stay right here for a minute, okay?" his father knelt by his son. "Don't move from this spot. I'll be right back."_

" _Where are you going?" Will asked, watching him closely. He had never been alone before, and that terrified him._

" _I have to talk with someone privately." he explained. "Can you please just listen? We'll get ice cream after, okay?"_

 _Will smiled, his brain immediately agreeing whenever he heard anything about food. "Okay."_

 _His dad smiled, ruffling Will's hair before walking off. Will immediately regretted his decision to agree, however, as he looked around in fear. There was no one in sight; only the massive wall._

 _Will walked over to the wall after a minute, gazing up at it. A soft thud was coming from the other side, catching Will's attention. It didn't seem like much, but it wasn't constant like machinery. It sounded human made. But there was nothing on the other side of the wall...right?_

 _He sat after a minute, putting his ear to the wall. The sound grew quieter as the minutes passed by, soon disappearing altogether. He frowned slightly when it did, before gently knocking on the wall to the same beat it had been._

 _Will froze after a second, however, as he heard the noise coming again, but from above him. He stood and backed up, trying to see to the top of the wall. When he saw what was making the noise, he made a squeak of fear._

 _A humanoid figure was coming down the wall, a small kid clinging to its back. It wore heavy boots, a large mask, and clothes the covered his skin (and his human appearance) from Will's eyes. All Will saw was a monster. A monster waiting to kill him._

" _D-Daddy…." Will's eyes brimmed with tears as his small body started to shake. He looked around again for his dad, but he was nowhere in sight._

 _The figure got down from the wall soon, taking the mask off. Will relaxed slightly when he saw a similar face to what he was used to, but was scared again when he saw the blue spots that covered it. The man, short and thin, turned around and also froze when he saw Will._

" _Little boy...shh." he put a finger to his lips. "Please don't tell anyone you saw me, okay?"_

" _Why?" Will looked confused, now looking at his face in fascination. "Did you color on your face? That's bad, you know."_

 _The man smiled a little. "Sure. Can...can you do me a favor?"_

" _Sure." Will went closer to him after a second. "What is it?"_

" _Can you watch my son for me?" he set the boy on his back, gently on the ground. The boy in question simply laid down, curling up. "I need to go check something. Maybe you two can play together."_

 _Will smiled, clapping his hands. "Yes!"_

 _The man smiled, kneeling by the kid. He took his mask off, kissed the top of his head, and walked off. When he was gone, Will sat by the kid. "Hi, my name is Will. Want to play?"_

 _The kid sat up. He was around the same age as Will, but with haunted black eyes and pale lips. He looked sick and queasy, swaying slightly. He looked Will over, however, tilting his head in thought. "Where's your mask?"_

" _I don't have one." Will was smiling brightly, a new friend bringing joy to him. "And that man took yours off."_

" _That was my daddy." the boy brought his knees to his chest. "My name's Nico."_

 _Will nodded, drawing in the dirt with his finger. "Want to play tick-tac-toe?"_

 _Nico nodded. "I like that game." He didn't look very excited._

" _Why don't you smile?" Will asked, finishing the board. He then drew an X in the corner of it, looking to Nico. "Your turn."_

" _Why would I smile?" Nico asked, taking his turn. "It hurts a lot."_

" _What hurts?" Will asked. "You don't look hurt."_

" _I'm not hurt." Nico looked at him, his eyes sad. "The air hurts, though. My daddy brought me here, though. It feels better here. He said he's trying to find us a home."_

" _Where's your mommy?" Will asked. "I didn't see her."_

" _She died." Nico replied bluntly._

" _What's that mean?" Will smiled brightly. "I won!"_

 _Nico scowled. "Cheater."_

" _I didn't cheat." Will pouted. "You saw me."_

" _I saw you cheat." Nico wiped the board away, making a new one. "I'll start this time."_

" _And you'll lose again." Will watched closely._

 _Nico smiled very slightly. "I doubt it."_

* * *

"Will?!" Annabeth was kneeling beside him, shaking him. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Will looked up at her, blinking for a minute. "Oh…, yeah I'm okay."

She frowned, looking him over. "What happened?"

"I remembered something." Will swallowed thickly. He must have surpressed that memory, and now that he was thinking about it, he wished it had stayed that way. The reason he wanted to meet Nico di Angelo….

He wanted to see if he was his old friend.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Will and Annabeth sat against the wall, rope bounding their hands and feet. The Outsider and Nico were talking to each other quietly, the later talking with his hands too much for Will to ignore. It wasn't that it was funny to Will, it wasn't anything like that. It was almost...cute.

Annabeth sat beside him, her teeth clenched and her head down. She mumbled half hearted plans to herself, searching for anyway to escape. But she knew there was none. Instead of voicing that, however, she kept hoping.

Will glanced at her after awhile, whispering. "Annabeth?"

She raised her head, looking up at him. "What?"

He bit his lip, keeping his voice low. He didn't want to be heard, especially not by Nico. "Do you know anything about Nico's backstory?"

She frowned. "Why?"

He shrugged lightly.

She looked at him for a minute before also whispering. "His family died. He's gotten arrested a lot."

"For breaking into Xbanda, right? Just our city or others?" Will asked.

"Just Xbanda." Annabeth peered at him from behind her mask, her brain ticking again.

"Was he arrested as a kid?" Will asked.

Annabeth nodded slightly. "And you want to know this...why?"

"Just something to think about." Will replied. "I'm bored."

"I know you're lying, Will."

"Too bad, Annie."

"Don't call me that." she hissed.

"Then don't call me a liar." he shot back. Before she could respond, however, Nico knelt in front of them.

"What's going on?" his voice made Will shudder, but he didn't pass out this time. Instead, he swept his eyes over Nico's form.

"My friend is being annoying." Annabeth replied bitterly. "Now, can you please let us go?"

"So you can kill me? No way." Nico tilted his head to the side again. "It's not my time. Not yet."

"Is that a bad habit or something?" Will blurted out, watching Nico's head.

Nico froze for a second before looking to him. "Hm?"

"Your head." Will mimicked Nico's actions. "You almost do it subconsciously."

"You almost annoy me." Nico got up, walking off again.

"Good job." Annabeth mumbled. "You pissed off our captor."

Will didn't reply, just looking down. They stayed quiet, minutes turning into hours. Annabeth refused to talk to Will, and he had nothing to say to her. What was there to say? Last words, to Will, seemed overrated. Especially if there was no one to survive to remember them.

It got dark soon, the only light coming from a flashlight that hung from Nico's neck. The teenager in question was sitting against a far wall, almost too far for Will to see. Will couldn't make out what he was doing, but he knew he wasn't sleeping. The light bobbed with every action of Nico's, illuminating with it Nico's stiff stance. No one could sleep that tightly wound.

After hours of this, Nico got up. Will froze in fear, but relief. Even when death wasn't far, he still found himself getting bored.

Nico sat in front of Will, it now possible for the two to make out each others faces. Nico was quiet, calm, obviously fighting to keep his head from tilting. At this, Will smiled to himself.

"So, it is a bad habit." Will reasoned.

"So? What if it is?" Nico asked coldly.

Will shrugged. "I'm not making fun of you or anything. It's kind of cute."

When Nico didn't respond, Will realized what he had said and blushed darkly. "I-I mean...uh…."

"Well, you obviously don't know what cute is." Nico managed quietly.

"I think I do." Will replied, smiling slightly at Nico not getting mad. "I would know better how cute you are if you took your mask off, but that would kill you so I highly recommend not doing it."

Nico's shoulders moved in a slight laughing motion. "Is this your idea of flirting? Explaining how I can die?"

"U-Uh…" Will lost his voice as he watched Nico, wishing he could read his emotions better.

"Are you hungry?" Nico blurted out, his fists clenched at his sides. Will watched him for a minute before nodding, his stomach taking the cue to growl.

Nico let out a little chuckle. "Okay, hang on."

Will blushed. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Nico got up, walking off. When he came back, he was carrying the shot Will had almost gotten used to.

"I bet this isn't what you like for food, huh?" Nico asked, injecting the shot into Will's arm. As soon as he brought it back, he covered the small hole in Will's sleeve with a tiny patch of fabric, sewing it on quickly.

"Not really." Will admitted. "I miss mom's cooking."

"I've only had the pleasure of eating once." Nico explained softly. "So, believe me when I say, it's better to not know what you're missing out on."

"Unless you can get it." Will interjected.

Nico smiled behind his mask. "Yes, exactly. I hope to get it for my people. Give them the opportunity to know what 'mom's cooking' is."

"Unless their mom is bad at cooking." Will joked, finding himself laughing softly. Should he feel this comfortable as a prisoner of war?

"Yeah, there's that." Nico laughed softly. "I've got to say, I'd be a terrible cook. If I ever had kids, I wouldn't make them eat the food I made."

"You want kids?" Will asked.

Nico shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. With how things are, no. If they get better...I don't know."

"Well, if things got better, what would be holding you back?" Will asked.

"If things get better, then I'm done. I want to rest." Nico explained.

"Rest…?"

"Die."

Will laughed frankly. "That's so stupid."

"Excuse me?" Nico squeaked in shock.

"That's freaking stupid." Will blurted his thoughts aloud. "If things were _good, peaceful, happy._ Why in hell would you kill yourself? That's so stupid. Why are you trying for something if you won't let yourself enjoy it? There won't be a reason to kill yourself. Especially if you want kids. You can't have them if you're dead. And if you have them and die, what would you be leaving them? I honestly can't understand your thought process."

Nico just sat there, still except for his hands. They trembled and shook, too much to be from the cold. When he didn't answer for a couple minutes, Will smiled.

"So, do you see your idiocy?" Will asked.

"Just…" Nico pleaded. "Stop."

Will frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"I'm doing this for my people." Nico responded quietly. "This is all for them. So they have a better life. Not for me."

"But it can also be for you." Will implored.

"I've _killed_ people!" Nico fumed, his fists clenching. "That means I deserve to die. I deserve it. I'm just making other people's lives better, first."

"I've killed people, too." Will stammered.

"Then you'll die, too."

"We'll all die." Will peered at Nico from behind his mask. "We're all going to die one day. We aren't immortal. Death isn't far away."

"...so…?"

" _So,_ you shouldn't kill yourself." Will responded. "You're going to get your punishment. You're going to die. But until then, live. Don't rush it."

"Isn't that what every soldier is doing, rushing it?" Nico questioned.

"Well, I guess." Will accepted. "But after the war, they don't. So you shouldn't, either. When everything turns out good, live. Have those kids."

"I don't even have anyone to have kids with." Nico mumbled.

"You don't have a girlfriend?" Will found himself shocked. For some reason, he had assumed Nico was in a relationship. He was attractive enough-

Will stopped his thought process as a blush crept onto his face.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend." Nico remained arrogant to Will's thoughts. "I never will."

"Why do you say that?" Will asked.

Nico laughed. "Because I don't like girls like that. That isn't something new, is it? That's been legal for decades."

"Oh,..." Will smiled brightly, thankful he was wearing a mask. "I didn't know, sorry. Then, when you're older, you and your boyfriend can adopt."

"I don't have a boyfriend, yet." Nico acknowledged. "I haven't really gotten around to it. Everyone here sees me as the boss, and that's it."

Will shrugged. "I bet someone has a secret crush on you."

Nico snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious."

"Who could possibly like me like that?" Nico rolled his eyes.

 _Well, me._ Will thought, but didn't voice it. Instead, he shrugged. "Lots of people."


	6. Chapter 6

Nico went back to what he was doing soon after that. Will didn't mind much, but was thankful for the quiet. He needed time to think. He didn't care about escape or that he was in the middle of a radioactive world. No, the only thing he cared about was talking to Nico more and getting him to like him back.

Annabeth still slept next to him, so he didn't need to worry about talking to her. Instead, he laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Nico, Nico di Angelo…. Why was he messing with Will's brain so much? Yes, maybe they had been met before. Yes, Nico's actions were adorable and Will wanted to see his actual features. Yes, Will was attracted to him romantically. But other than that, what was there good about Nico? He was evil, the enemy. He was the one Will was taught was a monster. He was the one Will was instructed to kill.

But even if Will had the chance, Will didn't know if he could do it. Nico had acted so nice, so _human._ How could Will kill someone he understood?

"Get some sleep. You'll need it." Nico walked passed him, carrying a couple guns.

"Where are you going?" Will asked, watching him in confusion. "Are you going to k-kill someone?"

Nico shook his head, not stopping. "Arming my people. Go to bed, I'll be back." He walked out of the cave, then, leaving Will alone again. He took Nico's advice, however, and laid against Annabeth. He would need his energy, and there was nothing more to think about. He didn't want to reason that Nico's death was good, so avoided thinking about it altogether. And sleeping would help with that. So he closed his eyes, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

They were kept in there as war prisoners for a month. They were fed and taken care of, and not tortured. At nights, when Annabeth had gone to bed, Nico and Will would talk. Will started to think of him as a friend, and looked forward to these conversations. Annabeth, however, seemed less like a friend every day. They didn't talk or exchange comforting glances as they used to. Annabeth spent her time staring at the wall, wasting away, thinking of an escape plan that would never exist. Most days, she didn't even respond to Nico asking if she was hungry. After awhile, she didn't move and Will enjoyed their "imprisonment."

That was, however, until the day the war took a turn.

Will had been thinking of another came to teach Nico, after nights of fun rounds of tic-tac-toe and hangman. He didn't get to voice his opinion, however, because a young Outsider ran in the cave screaming for Nico.

Nico ran to him immediately, abandoning the plan he had been writing out. "What? What is it?"

The Outsider leaned forward to breath before standing up straight again, his voice and posture radiating happiness. "We killed Mayor Chase!"

Will froze completely, his mind shutting down. Every ounce of respect he had for Nico vanished. Nico started to celebrate, celebrate a human's death. A _father_. A husband. A son. A friend. They were celebrating the end of a life.

Annabeth looked up then. Her voice came out broken and weak. "What?"

Nico looked over, having raised his arms in victory. "The war is almost over."

"N-No,..." Will spoke up for Annabeth. "Mayor Chase is dead?"

Nico nodded. "Yep. It's official. This is so great-"

"No!" Annabeth's voice rang out, stronger than before. "No! He can't be dead!"

Nico did that cute head tilt, but for the first time, Will didn't find it cute.

"Mayor Chase was Annabeth's father." Will mumbled, looking away from Nico. "You're celebrating her father's death."

Nico dropped his arms, his head straightening. "Oh,"

Annabeth started sobbing, the only sound in the cave. Will was trying to think about _anything_ else, while Nico bowed his head.

When Annabeth's sobs finally stopped, Nico walked over to them slowly, his voice low. "Annabeth, I apologize for your father's death. You may not know it now, but it had to happen. I wish it hadn't. And he'll be respected, and his death won't be in vain, and you'll live on to tell his tale."

She shook her head a little, letting it hang low. "I'll miss him...I love him...my mom's all alone…."

"You'll be able to be with her soon." Nico promised. "When this war is finished, I'll get you two back to your families."

"How can we believe that?!" Annabeth's passion was suddenly back, born from her father's death. "You've kept us prisoners here! You don't respect us!"

Nico laughed without humor. "Are you kidding me? Of course I respect you. I respect that you're young and you shouldn't lose your lives. I've kept you alive and well. I haven't killed or tortured you. If I hadn't taken you, you'd probably be dead like most of the other soldiers. This is all for you."

"Well, I don't see that." Annabeth mumbled. "And I don't see how you can."

"You will, eventually. When you're older." his head tilt was back again, and Will couldn't stop the butterflies this time. Again, Nico had proven to be a good person, even while doing bad things.

"We'll have to move." Nico continued. "We'll need a base closer to the city. We're almost there. We've almost one."

Will could basically hear the smile in Nico's voice.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

 _ **"I do believe in the light, raise your hands to the sky. The fight is done, the war is won, lift your hands towards the sun."-30 Seconds to Mars**_

* * *

 _The war was won when Will turned seventeen. He had been a prisoner of war for a year. It had been the worst year of his life. If he had gone with Annabeth, maybe he would have been lucky._

* * *

"We're moving camps." Nico unbound their feet but kept their hands tied behind their backs. Will thought this was useless, since Annabeth and him wouldn't run away, but didn't voice his opinion. Nico probably didn't really care.

"Closer to the city, right?" Will asked, letting himself be led out of the cave by gunpoint.

Nico nodded. "Yeah." He had been in such a good mood, Will couldn't help but smile.

"Honestly, how long do you think it'll be?" Will wondered. "I really miss my parents."

Annabeth laughed softly, but held no humor. Her head was bowed towards the sand beneath them. "I miss my father."

Will frowned sadly, glad no one could see. He felt guilty, having forgot so quickly.

"Yes, we know." Nico walked lazily. "But you can't really get him back, so stop talking about him. I don't talk about Percy."

"Percy?" Will looked over before looking away again. "Sorry, that was probably a personal question."

"Yeah, it was." Nico gripped onto his gun tightly. "But I guess I can't hate you for asking it. I was the one that brought him up, huh? Well, it's quite simple. Percy was my friend. You rich asses killed him right in front of his mother. Any questions?"

That definitely shut Will up.

"Good, glad that's settled." Nico shook his head a little, as if trying to clear the thoughts.

They walked for awhile, with no end in sight.

* * *

 _They took his last toe, the last day of him being a prisoner._

 _It had been his last one._

 _All he could do was cry._

* * *

"When we get to our next base, we might split up." Nico told them that night, over the campfire they had hastily made. "I've got other generals that might need to take care of you two for me. I've got things to do."

Will found himself frowning sadly. "But, that's not fair. What if they hurt us?"

Nico shook his head a little. "They won't, I promise. They're good guys."

"Will I get separated from Annabeth?" Will asked softly. "If I get separated from both of you, I'll have no one I know."

"Just relax." Nico played with a small stick. "You'll be fine. So relax and get some sleep. We've got a lot of walking tomorrow." He gestured to Annabeth, who was already asleep. "Take a cue from your friend."

"Nico,..." Will's anxiety was obvious by his voice. "I-I...I'm...scared…."

"Don't be." Nico hesitantly reached over and grabbed his hand. "You trust me by now, right? Trust me when I say, it'll all be alright."

* * *

" _Nico," Will's voice was weak as blood dripped from his mouth. "How did you not know…?"_

* * *

Will laid by Annabeth, closing his eyes to sleep. Before he could fall asleep, however, he could feel Nico lay by them. In a minute, Will acted like he was asleep, and cuddled into Nico "subconsciously".

Nico cuddled back.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8-

The next day, they split up without a second thought from Nico. Will watched as Nico led Annabeth away, having explained it was all for some battle plan that Will didn't understand. All he did understand was that fact that he was now alone with a random officer that he couldn't trust.

He missed Nico as much as he missed Annabeth.

"Come on," the officer dragged him away, much more pushy than Nico. "I've got a plan for you, after all."

Will didn't like the sound of that.

They eventually got to the most extensive building Will had seen outside the city walls. It was large, made of steel, and looked like a prison. Out it the front was a large rock, hundreds of names carved into its surface.

"What are those for?" Will asked, inclining his head towards the rock.

"The people that died to build this." the man replied, his voice low. "Just get moving, already. Nico may have been easy on you, but I won't be. Don't forget you're a prisoner of war."

He pushed Will to the front steps and unlocked the door. "Get inside, now."

Will did as he was told, fear bubbling in his chest. A prisoner of war..., he had heard old stories. Torture, rape, inhumane acts that only could be found in the oldest of books...

The inside of the building at first glance looked like an office. There was a front desk and a woman sitting at it, couches, and a couple potted plants. He slightly relaxed at the innocent interior but felt panic again as the guard pushed him through a side door into what could only be described as a makeshift prison cell.

The officer pushed Will to the ground and tied up his hands, starting to smile all the way. "You're our bargaining chip, you know. If they see you tortured, they may come to save you."

"Ex...excuse me?" Will squeaked. "Tortured?"

The man kicked him in the stomach before tying his legs up. "That's what I said."

Will didn't know what to say even if he could talk, but panic had overcome him, now. That was the start of a very long, painful, almost ending in death prison.

If he could take everything back and stay inside those city walls, he would have chosen that in a heartbeat. He wanted Annabeth, he wanted Nico. He wanted his mom towards the end more than anything.

He wouldn't have been able to keep track of the days if it wasn't for the prison guards. With each video they took, they said the date to make sure it was known. They wanted to scare Will with how long he had been there. Weeks turned to months, the months turned into a year.

A whole year, and all he could do at the end was silently pray for his mom. On his 17th birthday, they took his last toe, cut it off and put it by the rest. The feelings of fear were gone. Now, all there was left was the constant need for something else. He felt like he was in limbo, constantly waiting for an escape that would never come.

After they cut his toe off that day, they punched him as many times in the stomach as they could. Will couldn't feel the pain at that point but could feel himself grow weaker as the blood started to drip out of his mouth. How hadn't Nico known this would happen? Or if he had,...

Will refused to think about it.

When the men left after their last videotape, he was too tired to hold himself up. His body slouched back against the wall in utter defeat, blood loss surely taking its toll on him. "Nico, please,...how didn't you know?" His words came out quietly, but they came out. Nico wasn't there to hear or answer, but he felt like he needed to speak. No talking would lead him more broken in his mind than before.

When his eyes finally began to droop, he heard talking outside the door. Celebrating? He wasn't fully sure, but the usual angry voices seemed happy. They seemed as if they weren't in a war at all.

That's when he heard it, his mind between consciousness and rest. He heard Nico's voice with them, the soft song like a lullaby to his aching mind. His Nico was there. He finally came to save him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9-

Nico leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, peace finally settling over his weary soul. That peace treaty would be signed the next day, a peace treaty that could save thousands of lives. It would cure the tortured children, save the sick babies. It would give all of them a new lease on life.

He had came to tell their headquarters as quick as he could, so they could give new hope to their people. Their messege, "don't give up yet", would finally be believed throughout their world. For the first time, Nico was proud of himself. The old thought of killing himself never even crossed his mind. Who would do that to themselves when they were as happy as he was now?

Nico was their leader, the one who led them to this peace treaty. In doing this, he saved their lives. He changed the world for the better, and he couldn't stop smiling at that.

"Nico, what should we do with the prisoners?" Octavian, one of the guards, asked. "Should we kill them if we have no more use for them?"

Nico frowned, opening his eyes. "Excuse me? What prisoners?"

"...the only prisoners we have?" Octavian tilted his head in confusion, the common movement having become popular since facial expressions couldn't be read. "If we're doing a treaty, we have no more reason to send in videos. So, should we kill them?"

Nico stood up and headed for the only locked door, his blood starting to boil. "You've kept prisoners in the dungeons?!"

"That's what the dungeons are for." Octavian muttered. "What else would we use them for?"

"Storage! Or just leave them empty!" Nico turned to him and grabbed the front of his shirt, his hand shaking from anger. "What did you do to them? Who's left?"

Octavian looked at him for a minute before speaking, his tone of voice emphasizing his hidden smile. "We sent torture tapes in. That's probably why they're doing a treaty, you know. So no more of their citizens get-"

Nico punched him as hard as he could, the realize of energy curing some of his anger. He then turned to Annabeth, her shaking form by the front door. She had came with him to find Will, having hoped to see her old friend and share the good news. Now, she was terrified as her mind raced with possibilities of what could have happened to him. Nico could tell without even seeing her facial reactions, having gotten to know her over the past year. She was one of the reasons they won.

"I told you specifically to take care of them! Get answers _peacefully_! Not _torture_ them in the dungeons!" Nico stomped on him before looking to Annabeth, tilting his head towards another door. "Go get the keys."

She ran off to do so, leaving him to stare at the dungeon door in fear. Will...Will was an enigma to him. How could he like a boy so much that he barely knew? The last night they spent together, they cuddled under the stars without even worrying about what the other would think. They just felt right together, like they stuck together perfectly. Two meeting puzzle pieces.

"Here," she handed him the keys before moving her fingers to her gas mask, having develpoped a nervous habit of playing with the bottom of it. "Will he be okay?"

"Just let me see." Nico unlocked the door, taking a couple minutes to steady the key in the lock. God, why was he shaking so bad? This was just a boy, just a POW... Right?

Through his closed eyelids, Will could see the light that finally filled the dark room. Too exhausted to move, he didn't bother opening them. Whoever entered, they were probably just there to make another video. Nothing important; it wasn't food time, wasn't water time. He could just continue to sleep.

His mind started to turn hazy again when he heard Nico's voice, but he began to think it was a part of his imagination. "Will? Are you okay? I'm going to get you out of here, okay?"

"I'm dreaming, just dreaming." Will assured himself. "I'm only dreaming."

He felt his bonds loosen and then leave his imprinted wrists altogether, but he continued to blame it on a dream. The light stayed and he felt himself being picked up, but it was just a dream. Why open his aching eyes for a false reality?

"Annabeth, follow me!" Nico's voice came again, more urgent. "We need to get him to the city!"

The city? Why...

Will could barely make sense of it, this the weirdest dream he had had yet.

"Will? Don't die. Do you hear me?" Annabeth's angry tone overpowered Nico's voice in Will's mind. "You aren't dying today!"

If only he could die, maybe the pain would go away. But Annabeth didn't have to worry, even if she was just a dream. Even death was a sweet relief that he would never get.


	10. Chapter 10

Will's eyes struggled open when he heard his mother's voice. For the first time, he didn't care if it was a dream or not. He felt better, with more energy, and had been longing to see her. His mom had been all he wanted lately.

Her words filled him with peace, her low voice singing a soft lullaby to him that he used to have sung to him every night as a child. It gave him the strength to open his eyes, wanting more of that comfort.

The first thing that he noticed was the light. It was bright, almost too bright. A soft groan escaped his lips as he closed his eyes again, but he could still see the light through his closed eyelids.

"Will?" the singing stopped. "Will, baby, can you hear me?"

He groaned again before speaking, his throat feeling like he had been in the desert for years. "Mom? Is that you?"

She laughed in relief, causing Will to smile at the old memories. "Yeah, it's me. Everything's okay now, Will. The war is over and you're back home."

Will's smile dropped, the sudden remembrance that this wasn't real bringing him back to reality.

"Will, you okay?" he felt her lips against his forehead. "Can you open your eyes? Please?"

"Momma," he croaked, cracking his eyes open. "Save me. Please save me. Get me out of here."

"We saved you." her head appeared above him, blocking out the extensive light. She looked more real than dreams usually were. Every detail was there, including the newly formed worry lines on her face. "You're home, Will. Everything's okay now. You're in the city and the war is over. No more war."

"No more war..." Will repeated, staring up into her face. "No more war...home..."

She nodded. "Yep. You and Annabeth are home. Do you want to see her? She's here, Will. Her and that boy have been waiting for you to wake up."

Will licked his lips, gagging slightly at the taste of blood. "What happened? How...how did I end up here?"

Usually, his dreams would fade by now. But his mother was there as real as ever, her soft blue eyes looking down at him with so much concern he could never imagine it. "Mom, what happened? Is Annabeth okay? Where, where is she? Who got me out?"

"Shh," she fixed the wool blankets that covered him, bringing them up to his cold neck. "One question at a time. Don't get yourself too worked up. That boy carried you here, to the hospital. As soon as he found you he brought you to me."

"What boy?" Will asked, his heart starting to beat faster. No matter how disappointed he was in him, all he could think about was Nico di Angelo.

"I don't know his name,..." his mother admitted. "How about you talk to Annabeth? Want me to bring her here?"

Once Will nodded the best he could his mother disappeared from his sight, causing the light to reappear as torturingly brilliant as before. He closed his eyes against it but didn't let himself fall into the droopiness of sleep, wanting to see Annabeth. How long had it been? Too long.

"Will?" the softness of his old friend's words settled over him like nothing he had experienced before. "How are you feeling?" Her blonde curls fell on his face as she leaned over him, her smile tired and forced.

"Annabeth," Will breathed out. "I have to be dreaming..."

She giggled, a sound he hadn't heard in quite some time. "You're not dreaming. We're back home, Will. And guess who's here." She gave him a wink, smirking. "Nico."

Will's forming smile froze before dropping, his eyes falling downwards before closing altogether.

"Will?"

"I don't want him here," Will felt his lip starting to tremble. "I don't want him here, Annabeth. Look what he did to me. I can't...I can't..."

"Annabeth, I think you should step out." his mom's soft hand grabbed his rough one, her other petting his hair. "Calm down, Will. Deep breaths, okay? Don't think about it. Think about me."

"Is he okay?" Annabeth asked, her voice laced with worry. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting that reaction."

"He just needs rest." his mother answered, sitting on the bed next to him. Will leaned towards her instinctively, his hands shaking still. Nico...Nico had given him to that man...Nico...why...

"Okay," Annabeth mumbled. "I'll stop by later, Will. Get better." He could hear her walk off and then a door closing, leaving the room in blissful silence again.

After ten minutes, Will broke it reluctantly. "Mom?"

She kissed his forehead. "Yeah? What can I do for you?"

"Can you turn the light off?" he asked. "I'm so tired,..."

"Of course." he felt her get up and then a second later the light wasn't visible through his eyelids anymore, leaving him in comfortable darkness once again.


	11. Chapter 11

Will awoke from dreams of his missing toes to find the room empty, not even his mother in sight. He looked around to find himself in the hospital, a private room spread out around him. A TV was mounted on the wall and vases of flowers were spread out on the table below it, all filled with get well cards that he didn't ever want to read. Did he even know that many people?

A chair was pulled up as close to his bed as possible but was empty for the time being. His mother's purse sat beneath it with a half filled water bottle, no doubt where she had been sitting since he had been brought there. She wasn't in the room, but he could start to hear her voice in the hallway behind the large hospital door.

No traces of Annabeth or Nico were in sight.

After a couple minutes, his mother's voice faded and the door slowly opened, as if trying to make as little noise as possible. Will laid his head back but kept his eyes open, feeling better than he had in awhile. Everything wasn't fuzzy anymore and he felt more alert, more awake. He was finally completely sure that he was in reality.

The sad thing was, he didn't feel like celebrating. Even after being freed from a year of imprisonment and torture.

Annabeth poked her head into the room and swept her eyes around, a small smile spreading across her face when she saw that he was awake. "Can I come in?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

Will swallowed thickly before nodding, his head starting to pound. Nobody came in with her but against all reasons of logic, he knew Nico di Angelo was in that hallway.

Annabeth shut the door behind her and went to him, sitting beside his bed in the chair once occupied by his mother. "How are you doing? Do you feel alright?" She grabbed his hand, her voice low and soft as if to not scare him.

He nodded again, his brain running too fast to form complete sentences. Half of him wanted Nico to hold him while he slept, the other half wanted Nico as far from him as possible.

"There's a button you can push if you need more pain medicine." Annabeth pointed to the button before giving him a small smile. "I'm glad you're alive, Will. I couldn't lose anyone else."

Her words were supposed to be encouraging and full of friendship, he knew that, but they made him madder than he would have initially thought. She was glad he was alive? After a year of torture, and that's all that she could say? If she was so happy he was still alive, why hadn't she tried to free him before? Why hadn't she questioned Nico about it? It was Annabeth. If she had wanted to, she would have gotten him out of there. Her plans never failed.

Will turned his head away from her with a set frown on his face. Hoping she got the message to leave him alone, he closed his eyes and tried to go back into a dreamless sleep.

But Annabeth wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

"Will?" she put a hand on his forehead. "Your fever has gone down. You need to talk to us now, okay? The doctor said you're strong enough."

When he didn't answer she pursed her lips and spoke again, her voice more determined. "Will, I understand you're emotional. You went through hell, I get that. But it wasn't my fault. When I found out what they did to you, I was pissed. Nico and I immediately got you out and brought you here. We didn't waste any time. There was nothing else we could do, Will."

Will turned to look at her, his voice coming out hoarse and raw. "He knew. He had to have known. He gave me to that man on purpose."

"No, he didn't." Annabeth frowned. "You really thought that? Will, it wasn't his fault He didn't know. I saw him when he found out. He couldn't have faked that anger."

"You couldn't see his face. How would you know what he was feeling? What if he was smiling?" Will accused. "You have no idea."

"He punched the guy that did it," Annabeth replied. "And he punched hard."

"Oh," Will looked away, a slight blush hinting his pale cheeks. "So...he did seem mad? You two really didn't know?"

"We really didn't know," Annabeth confirmed. "If he had known, I would've found out. And if I had known...well...your captors would have been dead if it meant getting you back."

Will smiled. "That's my Annabeth."

She shrugged, her blonde hair falling onto her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah. That's me. War hero and all."

Will scoffed. "You aren't the war hero. What...what happened, anyway? The war is over?"

It was Annabeth's turn to nod. "Yep. Both sides signed a peace treaty. The city finally realized that the war was no good. We simply didn't have enough soldiers."

"What was the outcome?" Will coughed slightly, his throat not getting any better.

"They're making larger cities, more jobs, oxygen free, blah blah." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "None of the rich people are happy about it."

"I can see why." Will mumbled.

"But it's for the best. We can have a society again." Annabeth concluded. "Taxes and stuff will have to pay for the oxygen."

Will fell into silence as he took the information in, his head swimming with different ideas. Nico could be with him...Was Nico even gay?...Nico won...he must be happy...but what had he said...when they first met...

"Where's Nico?" Will blurted. "Is he alive?"

Annabeth blinked a few times before answering. "Um...yeah. He's outside. Do you want him?"

Will nodded, shook his head, then nodded again. "I...I need to make sure he's alright."

Annabeth tried to keep the smile off her face. "You worry about him?"

He sighed but nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Don't go telling him that, okay? I just need to see him once and then have more time to think. Can you do that for me?"

She got up and swept her hair behind her. "I thought you'd never ask."


	12. Chapter 12

His mother came in first and sat beside him. Annabeth sat on the bed next to his arm, having gotten someone to go get Nico. Where he was, Will wasn't sure, but he knew he wanted him there as soon as possible.

"He was just out there," Annabeth explained. "He probably went on a walk or something. It won't take too long to find him."

Despite her comforting words, Will couldn't help but think of all the ways Nico could be hurt or dead. Nothing helped until the boy in question actually came into the room.

Nico di Angelo walked in with his head held high and his shoulders broad and weary against anything that could go against him. For the first time since they were kids, Will saw Nico's face without anything covering it. The upturned nose, the dark eyes, the skin so pale that he could be labled as a ghost. The only thing that was different was the effects of how long it had been. Dark bags hung under his eyes and his cheeks held little to no fat. Some patches of his skin were blue and bruising, but his face was mostly intact.

His arms, however, were another story. Nico was dressed in an old T-shirt and a pair of ratty jeans, both seeming to be borrowed from somebody within the city walls. The T-shirt showed off Nico's muscles but also his withered skin, patches of blue and black here and there. One elbow looked as if the skin was barely there anymore, while the forearm was wrapped up and some blood could be seen around the edges of the white fabric.

Despite the state his skin was in, Nico looked to be in good health. He wasn't injured or crippled and could keep himself up well as he walked into the room. There was no limp or stumble.

"Will," his voice came out strained, but he kept his strong aura. "You're awake, that's good. How are you feeling?"

"Nico..." Will brought his hand up and reached for him, his arm shaking from the effort. "You're alive."

"Yeah, I am. It's nice, huh?" Nico tried to give him a smile but it ended up looking more like a grimace. "You should lay back and relax."

"He's right about that." Will's mother agreed, gently laying Will back onto the bed. "The doctors said rest is the only thing left that'll help you. They did all they could."

"And they're keeping you hydrated so you don't have to worry about that," Annabeth added. "They lectured us for a while about your care, you know."

Nico grabbed a chair and dragged it across the room, sitting in it when it got to the foot of Will's bed. He scratched the back of his neck and swept his eyes up to Will, his face solemn once again. "We need to talk."

"Annabeth explained that you didn't know." Will cut in quickly. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about anything with you. I just wanted to make sure you're alive."

"Um,..." Nico squinted his eyes. "Yes, I'm alive."

"Then shut up and just sit there." Will commanded. "I need to know you're alive but don't want to hear you. I'm still mad at you."

"Why are you convinced that he's going to randomly drop dead?" Annabeth questioned. "The doctors checked him out and he's going to be okay. He's actually been working with our...our new mayor...to build more cities, to fit all the people."

New mayor... Right, her dad had died. Will finally realized that he wasn't the only victim of the war, even though he still felt as if he had been wronged. Yes, he had survived, but had he deserved to go through what he had?

"It's because of something stupid I said when I first met him," Nico explained, his hands moving as he talked. "I was an idiot, I wasn't thinking right. I was depressed because of everything horrible I saw around me."

"You said you were going to kill yourself." Will managed. Even though he didn't know Nico well and everything he knew about him involved the war, the thought of Nico ending his own life brought new tears to Will's eyes. The first tears in so long. "They said the war was over and I thought you had killed yourself. I thought you were alone somewhere, dead."

"I'm sorry. I really am." Nico lowered his head. "I didn't know it would affect you like that. I didn't know you would actually care."

"Of course I'd care!" Suddenly, Will didn't care who was in the room. It was just him and Nico, in his mind. "You made me fall in love with you! And then what happened?! I was taken by someone you gave me to! Tortured! And you know what I couldn't stop thinking of?! You!"

"I didn't-!... What?" Nico stopped himself from yelling back, his eyes widening as he finally processed what Will had said. "We...we...all we did was talk...and cuddle..."

"We talked a lot, okay?" Will defended. "Trust me, if I could change my feelings, I would. Unrequited love isn't the greatest feeling to have."

"I never said it was unrequited." Nico quickly corrected, holding his hand up to stop Will from talking anymore. "I was just shocked. Now stop spilling your heart for a minute so I can speak."

"Hang on!" Annabeth stepped between them, her gaze locked on Will. "You're gay?"

His mother grabbed Will's hand. "Does it matter, Annabeth?"

"No, of course not. I'm just mad that he hasn't told me." Annabeth replied bitterly. "I'm his best friend! And he can't even have the decency to let me know I should be picking out a boyfriend for him, not a girlfriend?"

Will felt his face grow red. "Annabeth, I don't need you to pick anyone out for me. I never did. Wait, is that why you had me show your friend around the mall a couple years ago?"

Annabeth shrugged sheepishly. "What can I say? You were lonely."

"You tried to set me up with Piper?!" For the first time since he had been captured, Will felt like he was a normal boy joking with his friend. "She's been crushing on Jason since second grade!"

Annabeth's laughter helped the growing atmosphere in the room. "I didn't know that until recently, actually. You know her and Jason are together now?"

Will let out a small laugh. "Wow, I'm actually not surprised. What about Hazel and Frank?"

"Dating happily," Annabeth replied. "Hazel's actually downstairs, you know, in the cafeteria. Want me to get her? It's been awhile since you two have seen each other."

"Wait a second." Nico gently sat Annabeth down so he could actually see Will through the excited girl. "You have more friends? Wait, that came out wrong. I mean..." Nico sighed before resting his head in his hands. "You have a friend named Hazel? What's her last name?"

"Why would you want to know?" Annabeth asked defensively. "I mean...we're friends, Nico. We've turned into friends. But there's still a lot I don't know about you and there's still a lot of awful things you've done. So why should I trust you about something to do with an innocent girl?"

Nico watched her closely, his dark eyes becoming one of Will's favorite things to look at. "I had a little sister once. Her name was Hazel. Her mom ran off with her and I never saw her again. She would either go under di Angelo or Levesque. Does your friend have either of those last names?"

"Hazel's an Outsider?" Annabeth asked in shock, confirming his suspicions. "How old was she when she came into the city? I've known her for so long, I would never have suspected..."

"She was around three, probably doesn't remember," Nico admitted. "But I do. And knowing she's still alive and well is pretty awesome."

Annabeth nodded. "Maybe you and her could become friends, if you and Will decide to become closer." She turned and gave Will a wink. "I think that'd be nice for both of you. Because, according to Nico's words earlier, that love isn't unrequited."

Nico let out a small sigh but didn't deny Annabeth's words. "Will, get some rest. I'll drop by later. I need to head to the meeting. We can eat dinner in here or something, okay?"

Will's smile refused to drop for over an hour after Nico left.


	13. Chapter 13

That night, laying in the hospital bed together, Will couldn't help but feel completely relaxed in Nico's arms. The rough skin seemed comfortable to Will and the dried blood didn't smell too bad. Nico felt like a missing puzzle piece that had finally set its place in Will's heart.

"Is your skin going to grow back once you've been in the good air for a while?" Will asked after hours of silence. He rubbed his thumb in a circle on Nico's forearm, frowning at how it felt like he could stick his thumb right through the weakened skin. "Are you going to get better?"

Nico shrugged lightly, careful not to jostle their intertwined bodies too much. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Will glanced up to see Nico's expression. "But what if you don't get better?"

Nico let out a small laugh, the purple skin of his collarbone rising and falling with his chest. "Will, I'm pretty used to it by now. I think I'll be okay. It's not like it's going to get any worse."

"Yeah, but it looks painful." Will replied quietly. "And it's bleeding."

"It's okay, I promise." Nico played with Will's hair, his arm wrapped around the back of the blond head. Ever since Will's declaration of love, the two boys couldn't be separated as if they had known each other for years.

Love didn't feel so bad, after all.

Will was silent for a couple minutes more before trying again. "What did the doctors say about it? Could they heal the skin by like a transplant or something?"

"Will, seriously, it's fine." Nico pulled the blanket closer to them. "Let's just sleep, okay? You need your rest."

"I don't want rest, though." Will pouted. "Today's been the best day I've had in a year."

"And you can have an even better one tomorrow if you sleep," Nico argued. "So please, get some rest. We're already breaking the rules with me in here with you. There's a reason that's a rule. The sick and injured need sleep to heal."

"Sleep doesn't heal you." Will mumbled.

Nico rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. It helps. Now close those eyes and get to sleep."

Will grumbled some more but eventually fell asleep, Nico having exhausted him to no end. His dreams, thank god, held no nightmares. Instead, he rested in the inky blackness until he woke up the next morning. He was in his hospital gown again but had Nico's hoodie on, with Nico nowhere in sight.

The hoodie smelled like the dark-haired boy, so Will kept it on and tried to go back to sleep. He couldn't quite get there, however, so he busied himself with trying to reach the TV remote.

Eventually, he didn't get to the remote but got the cell phone that sat on his bedside tray. The cell phone that used to be his, a long time ago. Had it only been two years since he used it last?

He thanked God that he had a fingerprint as the opener since he had no clue what the passcode would be. He felt like a completely different person than he was all that time ago, as if had never even gone through that teenage phase.

The first thing he saw was the 100+ notifications he had. Apps, texts, missed calls. Instead of searching through all of them he cleared the list and opened his messages. His old friends texted him before they found out where he had gone, asking him if he was ever going to come back to school. Others asked if he had his phone on him while fighting.

He deleted them all, nothing worthwhile about them. His old life was as inviting as another night of torture.

At least he eventually got out of the hospital. That was the only plus, besides Nico, that his life had. Nico helped him get dressed that day and helped him walk out of that hospital without a wheelchair. Will needed that, to know he was still strong, and Nico helped him get that.

They drove back home in silence but not uncomfortableness. Will didn't feel like talking after feeling so overwhelmed and Nico understood that. The former Outsider held him close until they got to Will's old house.

"I'm...I'm not ready." Will shook his head as the car pulled to a stop. "I'm not ready."

"Then take a moment and breathe," Nico responded easily. "You don't have to be ready yet."

Will nodded and rested his head on Nico's shoulder gently, careful not to hurt Nico's ruined skin. "It's been so long."

"I understand. If _I_ went back home now...it wouldn't even feel like home, honestly." Nico brought one hand up to play with Will's hair. "But when we get inside, we can lay on your bed and start getting your life back to normal."

"You can tell me everything that's gonna happen." Will demanded, having been begging Nico for the full answer. "Everything that's gonna happen now that the war is over."

"Fine, fine. I guess you need that to continue on." Nico gave in. "But once you're laying down and calm. I'm not gonna tell you if you're freaking out or if we're still sitting in this car in an hour."

Will closed his eyes for a minute before opening them again, used to the constant pain but now finding it more annoying than ever. "Okay, let's go."

"Are you sure?" Nico asked. "Are you ready, now?"

Will nodded. "You'll have to help me walk. I'm still horrible at balance. But I'm ready to go in, now. I'm ready."

Nico smiled. "Then let's go, soldier."


	14. Chapter 14

Nico explained to him everything he could about what would happen now that the war was over. Bigger cities were being built, areas for refugees were set up until they had somewhere to live in the cities. Air wouldn't need to be paid for, it would be a right.

He listed the dead; not many for a war, but enough to make Will cringe and wonder how he had escaped that fate. How he hadn't died in those dungeons. By all odds, he should have been one of them. So why not?

"You're going to stay with me, right?" Will asked following the silence after the conversation. "You don't have anywhere to go and...and..."

"You haven't been alone since the dungeons." Nico finished, his smile grim. "Course I'll stay with you. But I have to be at meetings with your mayor and everything. So I won't be here 24/7."

"That's fine. That's perfectly fine." Will quickly replied. "Thank you, Nico."

Nico gave him a quick hug before getting off the bed. "No problem. Anything I can do, really."

"Where are you going now?" Will questioned, his eyes fixated on the rebel leader. "You're leaving already."

"Meeting like I said before." Nico pulled his borrowed jacket on and grabbed his shoes. "I won't be too long. Rest up until I'm back."

"Yeah, okay." Will laid his head back. "Don't get yourself in trouble or anything."

"You know me too well." Nico saluted him before heading out. "Sweet dreams, William."


End file.
